* ~** ThemeParks megathread **~**

Lorddrakul

Thanks for that Rossie, that looks like the best option but just wanted to see if anyone had an experience.

Cheers,

LD

pixysarah

I would stay in the park hotel aswel. Its a lovely hotel and much handier for going to the park, coming back for a rest ect.
also depending on how long ye are staying lalandia which is a big water park is close by and really good fun. http://www.lalandia.dk/uk/Pages/forside.aspx
You can also get self catering houses beside lalandia which could also be an option if ye are staying for more then just a few days

Lorddrakul

@pixysarah: Thanks for that. That's good info. I thought that there must be self-catering options about the palce, given the nature of the attraction.

Will check it out.

LD

hoodwinked

ok i have searched and read lots of disneyland threads on here but i have only seen this question asked and not answered,


we are going to Disneyland paris soon and i am wondering roughly how much spending money we will need either per day or overall for a 3 nights trip,

none of the three of us have ever been before, two adults one 4 year old, we are going half board and mid week, staying in the New york hotel,

we have transfers from the airport to the hotel paid for, but we think it may be the bus so we might pay for the train instead as its faster.. its all booked through a travel agent and passes are included for the parks.

XsApollo

Depends on your wife or GF?
First port of call will be a princess dress, wig and wand for your little girl, about 150euro.
If your daughter wants a talking Rapunzel doll or snow white or whoever that'll be 75euro.
Things like Minnie Mouse ear muffs and gloves all over 10 ,15 euro.
If you are gonna bringing gifts back for neices ,nephews ,friends they are expensive.
When i was there i didn't go half board but you are probably looking at 100euro per day for food and drink. Will ye be using the bar in the late evening ? then add a bit more.

You would probably want 1000euro to be comfortable and enjoy yourself.

Its worth it tho your daughter will love it.

hoodwinked

Thank you ill just add the extra information below to help everyone work out rough spending guides:

she has all the dresses from the Disney store in New york (birthday & christmas gifts from relatives living over there) already so we were going to pack one or two of those,

we will be bringing back one or two small gifts maximum, (no nieces or nephews for either of us yet)

we probably will go a bit mad in the gift shops as it's not often she is spoiled (these things are usually confined to birthdays and christmases) however i can see her wanting the talking dolls. i think the Frozen dolls are what she wants at the moment,

mgbgt1978

Have a look at disboards.com (scroll to the disneyland Paris section).
Mainly UK contributors but a huge amount of info.

anne burnell

good idea to bring the outfits with you.... there are very expensive in disneyland.... You can make the holiday as cheap or as expenisve as you want.... if you eat lunch in the restaurant in the park , and they are nearly all fast food, it will be expensive or you can buy sandwich's crisps drinks etc. in the Train Station shop on your way into the park, works out much cheaper. The bus only takes about 45mins from the airport.... we tried to do the fast train in Jan, but the times did not suit our flight and there would have been a long wait...

LimerickX

Hi going to Disneyland Paris in May for 3 days..just wondering if it is better to buy the tickets when we get there, or online before we go? And what is the best website to purchase tickets from ?

naughtysmurf

Have used these before, for Orlando not for Paris but great to deal with. I tend to buy tickets before I go, buying when you get there tends to be more expensive
http://www.attractionticketsdirect.ie/europe/disneyland-paris-tickets

Gatica

That's where we got ours as well. Have heard on boards of people getting tickets off the french Disney site for less.

naughtysmurf

Yep, possibly, shop around. Buying at the gate tends to be more expensive, generally though

col.in.Cr

Sorry,Off Topic but is there any good package deals for this trip?
Cheers

gijoo

Hi,

Wife and 2 kids went to Clary's plage in the Vendee and the kids loved the park, water pirate theme and pools.

This year we want to go to a different area and have multiple options. I would love some opinions. I realise it's a little early, we're planning on going 2nd or 3rd week of June, as it's way cheaper. But I want a park that's not dead in early June, where facilities are not open.

1. La Rive (Biscarrosse) -
+ seems to have a lovely pool setup.
+ great reviews about the lake.
- have read some mixed reviews about entertainment and pool/slides not been turned on when not in peak season.


2. La Baume (Frejus) - seems to have load of pools but no beach.
- Friend advised that this area is more expensive.
+ Close to Nice Airport.

3. Aloha Village () - Seems to be a really nice site with good pools.
- About 1 hr drive from Carcassonne Airport.
- Some very mixed reviews http://www.tripadvisor.ie/Hotel_Review-g1194522-d1823392-Reviews-Yelloh_Village_Aloha-Serignan_Herault_Languedoc_Roussillon.html

4. Le Vieux Port (Messanges)

So anyone have an opinion/experience on these ?

Thanks,
Gijoo.

hiltonhater

Have been to Frejus and would advise against unless you have a car and an abundance of cash. It is about a half an hour drive from the airport if that is the route you are planning and when I was there, last September, the public travel system was on strike and it cost 165 euro in a cab to Frejus! Cabs are very expensive there. I have not been to the other spots so no advice either way.

gijoo

Thanks Hiltonhater.

Was planning on renting a car. Did you stay in La Baume ? If so, can you share your opinion ?

Thanks
GiJoo.

skibum

We have spent the last 12 summers at French campsites, some years doing two sites in one trip, the campsite that stands out for me is Aloha, we have been there 4 times.

I made a few posts about Aloha in this thread:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056507933

I have had a look at the recent tripadvisor reviews http://www.tripadvisor.ie/Hotel_Review-g1194522-d1823392-Reviews-Yelloh_Village_Aloha-Serignan_Herault_Languedoc_Roussillon.html
and some have valid points, others are nit picking issues that you find on a lot of sites.

There are parts of the site that can be noisy (pitches that back on to the access road and on the other side which back on to a neighbouring campsite)

The pool complex is great, but in peak season can be a bit cramped, but there is a fantastic beach about 50 meters from the pool......
This year they have added new water slides to the pool.

We always go the last week in june / first week in july, it gets busy after the 4th, but there is a great atmosphere.

regarding the staff / management of the Tiki bar and Pacific, they seem change every year, for the most part they were nice, but that depended on who was serving you, some of them had no personality at all, we made sure we tipped the staff who were good and had no problem with service from them after that....

we found the security to be pretty good at night, one year we were staying at "Yelloh Le serignan plage" Campsite (about a mile away) but we spent most evenings with friends how had booked into Aloha, we had to hand over our driving license to security who came looking for us if we hadn't left before 12.

The pitch sizes in the VIP area are small but pitches with parking are big enough, (much bigger than the neighbouring Yelloh site).

What I really liked about the place was the atmosphere, it was much friendlier that any of the bigger sites we've been to, 1000 times better than the kip we had the misfortune of going to last summer (Le Lac Des Reves, it's a Siblu campsite at Montpellier)........

gijoo

Thanks Skibum,

I'm impressed by it and it's down to that or la Rive(as flights are slightly cheaper).

I'm keen to hear opinions on La Rive Biscarrosse - Anyone been last year ?

Regards,
Gijoo.

Charlie George

Just heading to salou in june and wondering where would the best place to get tickets for parks,maybe a 5 day pass including water park or similar,thanks in advance.

pauleoin

Not exaxtly what your looking for but it may be of use.

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/25-tickets-port-aventura-theme-park-spain-using-chupa-chup-lolly-packets-1898564

PeteFalk78

Heading to Cambrils in a few weeks also so looking for cheap tickets/codes/coupons etc

Thanks.

Sunny Dayz

So we are going to Tenerife at the end of June, myself, the hubbie and our 9 year old - really looking forward to it. We plan on spending a full day in Siam Park.

However, none of us have been to a water park before so I'm not really sure what to do or what to expect. I know we hire a locker and put our belongings in it. But do we walk around in our swim suits? Do you walk around bare foot or flip flops? What do you do with flipfliop, sunglasses, hats when you go on a ride? Is there shade while you queue up for the rides? My son is fair skinned so I need to keep an eye on him with the sun - also can he wear a tshirt to keep the sun off a bit?

Is there any way of carrying around a small amount of money or do we have to go back to the locker every time we want to buy a drink or an ice-cream?

Lastly, anyone know what the height restrictions are for the rides? I have checked their website but cannot find any details.

The Davestator

Few tips on getting the best (in my opinion)

Get there either before or after all the tour buses get there so you dont have to Q for too long.
Get a 'base' either on grass or lounger (you'll probably have to pay for a lounger, and parasol)
Bring water and food as it can be expensive. You'll have to buy extra water so its cold but at least the first few hours will be covered
Just walk around in swim gear. Dont need to wear flip flops around the park unless you're going to the restaurant / toilets
Different slides have differend height restrictions
Keep some cash with you so you only have to go to locker at the end of the day.
Very easy to get burnt on the shoulders as you can be queuing for a while so lash the cream on.
Enjoy!

frostyjacks

Bring a freezer box full of water & snacks and make a whole day of it. The restaurants are where they make a killing. I'd bring flip flops just for comfort, never know what u might step on. U leave them at the base if the ride and and grab them when u get out.

Gatica

yes, I usually wear flip flops around. far more comfy. As you're standing around a lot I like having something light on on top of my bathing suit as well as sunglasses. That does require someone minding things though, so you may need to take turns with hubby.
If he's fair and gonna be in the sun a lot, there are those surfing tops you can get. My OH wears a long sleeved one, and it has a certain amount of SPF inbuilt. It's good for protecting shoulders on a long day in the sun and they're similar material to bathing suits, so are ok for water rides, etc...

peckerhead

Sunburn is your big worry, especially for the kid. Get the highest factor/most waterproof you can and if possible apply it liberally all over early that morning and let it sink in fully for half an hour before you even put clothes on. Even at that it is definitely going to lose its efficacy if you're getting wet and drying out all day, and in places like the backs of your legs it's going to rub straight off on those water slides. Reapply, reapply, reapply, all day long. Shoulders, bridge of your noses and tips of your ears — basically all the spots that are going to be exposed to direct overhead sun for the whole time you're there (these parks usually have feck all shaded areas, and what's there will be snapped up).

Oh, and definitely flip-flops, no matter how clean the place looks.

happyoutscan

Was at Siam before, its ok but nothing too great as there aren't a great selection of rides yet enough for your 9yr old to enjoy. A few hours should do. We went at the end of the season so we didn't have to queue for entry or the slides yet I'd advise pre-booking your tickets online as you then won't need to queue as long at the entrance. Get a locker and Flip-flops are handy, especially if the sidewalks are very hot which they can be! Enjoy!

km79

One thing about siam park that's better than other water parks is the food.
It's not just burgers and chips.there is a place with Thai noodles etc which is nice and fairly reasonable.
I have to say I thought siam park was brilliant!
Loro parque is another trip with doing.
Enjoy

Lima Golf

Siam park is brilliant. Tickets are €30ish and you can pay an extra €15 once inside for a fast pass. It lets you skip the queues for each ride once. Well worth the extra as it will mean you won't be queuing 30 mins + for each ride in the blazing sun. The poster that said you have to pay for sun loungers is incorrect. Sun loungers and parasols are free. Get there early to get yourself a shady spot. The food and drink is pretty reasonable by theme park standards. Bring flip flops to walk between slides as the pavement gets hot. Just leave them at the bottom of the ride...you'll see a pile of others there so just throw yours with them. Don't bring sunglasses between rides. I never hire lockers. I just leave towels, sun cream etc. on the sun lounger and I bought one of these a few years ago
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0012BQZ0A/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1399996371&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX110_SY165
I keep my money and keys in it and put it in a velcro fastening pocket in my boyfriends swimming trunks. It's a great little investment people use them for iPhones and cameras too but I wouldn't personally. I just leave that kind of stuff in the hotel safe. It's great for the beach and hotel pool too. You don't have to keep one eye on your stuff. Anyway enjoy Siam park. It's so much fun!!!

highlydebased

Just to +1 for the suncream, anytime I've been to a water park I've gotten scalded!